


compartmentalization and other useful skills

by klutzybriefing



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: ALL THE GOOD STUFF, Alternate Universe - Mob, Alternate Universe - Office, Ben Solo is a psycho still, But He's Nice to Rey, But he won't hurt Rey I promise, But not bad compared to other shit I've written, Devoted Reylo, F/M, Fluff, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo Ren is Not Nice, Modern Era, Not much of a slow burn but it'll still be worth it, Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Behavior, Rey Needs A Hug, Smut, Some lite stalking, Violence, You'll love Rey in this, lol, unrealistic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 22:34:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22245979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klutzybriefing/pseuds/klutzybriefing
Summary: A-Side: Ben Solo is a Desktop Support Analyst at RESIST!Media, a multimillion dollar media conglomerate. He's notoriously cranky (and kinda awkward) until he has a sickeningly sweet meet-cute with interviewee Rey.B-Side: Kylo Ren likes killing for the organized crime syndicate First Order. Like, a lot. And he's good at it. But he's been a little distracted lately.Ben Solo the gentle tech guy and Kylo Ren the mob enforcer are the same person. And he reeealllly doesn't wanna fuck things up with Rey Kenobi.Office AU meets mob AU meets gratuitous violence in every chapter! And fluff. Some humor.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 56
Kudos: 160





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> or "what happens when klutzy drinks half a bottle of wine and decides to add another WIP to her mounting list"
> 
> weekly updates, mondays or tuesdays. should be wrapped up in april 2020.

The first time Ben meets Rey, he thinks he’s having a dream. 

In his defense, the morning feels existential at best; he doesn’t know the difference between dissociating and the throes of unconsciousness anymore. He still tries to be on his best behavior either way. He can’t afford the suspicion that comes with strange behavior, not with the bodies piling up in the city and his self-righteous D.A. of a mother demanding justice, justice, _justice_. Those men didn’t deserve justice. 

He thinks. 

Only Snoke really knows, and he’s learned not to question him. 

He shakes his head as he boards the elevator. He hopes he is dreaming, because it will mean he’s asleep. Sleep is a small price to pay for a man playing the stoic Desktop Support Analyst by day and vigilante murderer by night. From 8a-5p, he helps boomers navigate the wild world of technology. It’s 8:03a now. 

He squints at his shoes. Amadeo Testoni leathered oxfords, which he only bought because he’s got more money than sin now and nowhere to spend it. He literally googled ‘expensive dress shoes for men’ and these came up. Had to buy them online. There’s a deep, crimson drop of blood on the toe, and he sighs when he realizes it. That’ll stain. 

“Are you nervous?” The woman beside him asks. She has a soft British accent. She chuckles, and for some reason, that sounds British, too. “I am. Bloody shaking.” 

His gaze rises, slowly. He hadn’t even noticed someone else in there with him. He takes in her shoes first—busted Mary Janes, probably thrifted. Free of blood at least. Her toes are pointed together, subtly. He can’t make out much of her legs under her opaque black tights, but he can tell by the way her skirt meets her hips that they’re probably muscular. She has a dotted white top on, and it’s spilling over the edges. Chest isn’t really anything to write home about, but then again, he’s never been picky. There’s a dusting of freckles on her prominent, exposed collarbone. Her neck is slim. Elegant. He’s sure he could wrap one hand around it and have his fingers meet with no resistance. 

He knows she can tell she’s being scrutinized when his gaze flickers up further. Her face is perfect, like God himself designed some unbelievable look of casual innocence just to torment him. Freckles, still, but a hint of a blush, eyes that can’t seem to choose between green or brown. Maybe her mouth is a little too wide, or it would be for anyone else, but he knows it would fit with his perfectly. 

“Nervous?” Ben asks carefully. “Why would I be nervous?” 

She cocks her head to the side. “Aren’t you interviewing?” 

“Why do you ask?” He shouldn’t feel his heart pounding so violently if this is a dream. Right? 

“Well, me too. I mean. I have a few interviews today.” She motions to her outfit, as if he hasn’t spent the last agonizing minute committing every curve to memory. “Uh…but I want this job the most, I think. The others are really just practice. Glassdoor says the interview process here is enjoyable, which bodes well.” 

She nudges him with her elbow and he feels like he might throw up. No one has touched him in years. 

“You look great,” she continues. “I’d hire you if I could on presentation alone.” 

_Oh._

It clicks. 

His department shares a floor with HR. She must be here to shoot the shit with Dameron. When he sees she’s a pretty girl, she’ll probably be hired on the spot. He wonders which department she’ll be in. There are no openings in IT, much less desktop support. That’s basically a one-man show starring Ben Solo. 

Ben will probably never see her again; company’s too big. 

“Thanks,” he mutters. His eyes rake back over her. “Uh… ditto.” 

The elevator finally opens, merciful as ever. It’s a long climb from the parking garage to the 43rd floor. She must have gotten on at P4, whereas he has a reserved spot on P2. He turns on his heel to disappear into his cubicle, but he hears the tell-tale click of shoes behind him and turns. His grip on his briefcase tightens when he sees the girl following him like a lost puppy. 

He can’t manage anything but an “uh…” in response. 

“Oh!” The girl blushes. Really blushes. It’s over her nose and flushing down her collarbone. The sight is so tantalizing Ben has to clear his throat; he hasn’t had this much contact with a woman since his twenties. “I’m following you. You seem to know where to go—I couldn’t really understand Poe’s directions. This floor is like a maze. And Poe told me not to bother the IT guy for directions in his email. Which you know, since you got the same one. Sorry. I’m rambling. I won’t bother you once we get there.” 

Ben doesn’t know what to say. He’s snapped at a number of potential hires that wandered into his cubicle looking for directions. He’s even snapped at Poe a few times for refusing to put up signs. Ruins the aesthetics, apparently. But he doesn’t want to snap at Rey. It’s not like she came barreling into his personal space, she’s just a confused, beautiful British girl. 

“Okay.” 

Ben turns on his heel and walks past her. His head is swimming. Every time he blinks now, he sees her face blushing. Before he boarded the elevator, he could only see Gial Ackbar’s futile last gasp for breath playing on a loop. That’s his blood on Ben’s shoe, mocking him. He fucking loves these shoes, too. Fuck. 

They’re outside of Dameron’s office when he dares to hazard a glance over his shoulder. He catches her staring up at him, gaze boring into the back of his head. She’s not short by any means, but he still has almost nine inches on her. He can tell she was staring at his hair because her neck is craned up. He wants to smile but he feels too frozen and awkward. 

“This is where the interviews happen,” he explains, then quickly averts his gaze. He knocks on the door to get Dameron’s attention and also to direct Rey’s attention away from him. 

He doesn’t deserve any of it. 

There’s rustling on the other side of the door, and then it’s creaking open. The lights are off inside and Poe looks thoroughly hungover, which is par for the course. 

“Solo!” He grins, then that falters when he sees that there’s more than one visitor. “Oh, that must be Rey Kenobi. My 9:00. Told her not to bother you, sorry.” Poe’s eyes rake over the girl’s—_Rey’s_—form a bit too hungrily for Ben’s taste.

“She didn’t bother me,” Ben explains. He’s imagining Poe’s face on Ackbar’s limp body. “We rode the elevator up together, so I didn’t mind.” 

“Oh my goodness!” Rey exclaims. Ben turns over his shoulder and she looks so embarrassed. Awkward. Like him, but she doesn’t seem to live in a constant state of inexplicable shame, so the feeling must be new to her. “I’m so sorry, Mr… Solo? You just—you’re dressed so nice, I thought people only dressed that nice for interviews. Gah, I’m an idiot.” 

The way she says his last name makes his heart skip. 

“It really is no trouble. Not like I bothered to correct you.” He smiles, knowing it doesn’t reach his exhausted eyes. Her voice is infecting his memory, drowning out the grunts and gasps Ackbar made a few hours ago. “Good luck with your interview, Rey.” 

He’s knee-deep in a stack of old Thinkpads an hour or so later. They’re the only machines in the company fit to run billion-line spreadsheets on SPSS, and they’re just about as ornery and buggy as the software itself. Now they need to be re-imaged for a batch of new hires. Rey might get one of these, he thinks. As if he’s summoned the girl with the thought, he hears an excited sing-songy voice behind him. “I think I got it, Mr. Solo!”

He jumps. His knee hits the bottom of his desk, because he’s too tall for his chair. “Fuck!” 

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” Rey is frowning now, suddenly standing in front of him and worrying over his leg. She squats down and rubs over the sore spot. He’s hard so quickly it makes him want to die. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Oh, goodness, I’m not sure how many times I’ll embarrass myself in front of you today.” 

“It’s—it’s. _Fuck._” He doesn’t curse out of pain, it’s the pleasure of a touch-starved man getting his knee rubbed by a beautiful woman in her twenties. She thinks it’s pain. He can tell because she starts squeezing the muscle around it. 

“Mm—fuck. It’s okay. Rey,” he huffs. He pushes her hand off of her like it’s burning him. “It’s fine.” 

She uses the same hand to hide her face. 

“I promise I wasn’t feeling you up. Ugh. I just—I took care of mentally and physically impaired adults before, when they’d hurt themselves I’d just help and soothe however I could. I haven’t really fallen out of that mindset. God. Please don’t tell Mr. Dameron.”

“Rey,” Ben warns. She peeks at him through her fingers. “I’m fine. And I don’t talk to Mr. Dam—Poe. I’m not going to tell him that a girl scared me so bad that I got a booboo on my knee and she had to help me. It’s okay.” 

“Okay.” She stands up and laces her fingers together in front of her. “I just wanted to say thank you.” 

“For what?”

“Helping me this morning. Mr. Dameron told me you’re cranky, but you seem pretty great to me. But…um…if you are usually cranky, thank you for making an exception. Uh, for me.” 

Ben knows he looks gobsmacked. Rey is worrying at her bottom lip. She really is a strange girl, he decides. Too outgoing for her own good. Rambles a lot. Beautifully compelling. 

She closes her eyes, tight, and Ben doesn’t know what to expect. 

“_Willyougetdinnerwithme?_” 

“Huh?” Ben blinks. He’s a psychotic insomniac and he knows he didn’t hear her correctly. “What?”

“Dinner,” she yelps. “With me. You’re—you’re cute. I’m sorry. Is this sexual harassment? I don’t have the job yet.” 

“No, I think the sexual harassment was when you felt me up.” Ben’s cheeks are burning. He doesn’t know why he said that. “Uh…yeah. Okay, dinner. I don’t know when I’ll be free, but I can give you my phone number?” He doesn’t know which God to thank for getting that sentence out coherently but he’s incredibly grateful. 

He needs to sleep. No jobs tonight. 

Rey nods so he tears a scrap of paper from a printed support ticket and scrawls his information down. 

She stares at the paper for a moment, mouthing down at it silently, like she’s reciting a prayer. “Thank you…Ben.” 

Then she’s gone, and he can’t decide if she’s real at all. 

Fifteen minutes pass. He hasn’t gotten back to tinkering with the Thinkpads. He’s still considering marching down to Poe’s office so the man can confirm that a beautiful woman named Rey actually exists, that he didn’t dream her out of nothing, when his phone chimes. 

**Unknown Number**  
_ Thanks. Again. I promise I’m not usually this embarrassing. I’ll show you that I’m a normal, respectable, well-adjusted adult at dinner. :) Second impressions mean everything. I think. — Rey _  


He doesn’t respond right away, just holds his phone to his chest with a sigh and staves off happy tears. 

If this is a dream, he doesn’t want to wake up. 

— 

Ben is halfway through interrogating Carl Rieekan when his phone rings. 

Rieekan is practically ancient at 54, but he’s been a lynchpin in Snoke’s First Order for years, and was recently spotted talking to the feds. 

Ben doesn’t care about anything else. Snoke already knows what he needs to about what Rieekan said, what he _revealed_, betrayed, gave _up_. Now Rieekan is just supposed to suffer under the guise of being released when he tells the truth, then Ben will just kill him anyway. Same old song and dance. 

The ringtone is the same one he uses for his alarm. It unsettles him more than the half-dead man gagged and bound in a chair in front of him ever could. 

It’s Rey. He shoves his .357 into his waistband and fumbles to answer. 

“Hello?” 

“Ben!” She sings. Is she drunk? She’s never called him before, just texted furiously since last week. He’s supposed to meet her tomorrow. “Ben, I uh—I got the job. We’ll be working on the same floor!” 

“Oh, wow. Holy shit. That’s really awesome, Rey.” 

Rieekan is trying to scream through his gag. Ben huffs and pulls the gun back out, undoing the safety and aiming half-heartedly between Rieekan’s eyes to scare him into shutting up. 

“Yeah, I know! Um…so, I just wanted to let you know. I didn’t know if that might change things between us or anything.” 

Rieekan is undeterred, probably thinks Ben won’t fire. He’s screaming as loud as he can manage, but Rey’s still not gonna hear him. Poor guy. 

“No way, that doesn’t change anything,” Ben smiles, despite himself, and starts to approach Rieekan. “Still wanna have dinner. Guess that means I’m buying, then, huh?” 

“Oh! You don’t have to.” 

“Nah, I insist. Gotta congratulate you the right way. One sec, okay, baby?” 

He can tell he’s disarmed her with the petname. It isn’t intentional, it just slips. “…Sure. Uh. Baby. That’s fine.” 

He mutes the phone and slips it into his back pocket. 

“Can you shut the fuck _up_?” Ben seethes. He takes the back-end of the pistol and hits Rieekan’s head so hard that his skull bursts open. He’s not dead, but he’s stopped screaming, and that’s enough for Ben for now. 

“Rey?” Ben brings his phone back to his face. “All good now. Sorry.” 

They talk for another fifteen minutes while Rieekan bleeds out. He’s actually more or less forgotten about his assignment between questions about “work culture” and “dress code” and how long one can _actually_ take for lunch before they’re missed. He gleefully answers everything, tells her he’ll give her the grand tour himself next Monday. 

He can hear her vibrating with excitement. It’s so cute it makes his chest hurt. She’s 23, and this will be her first corporate job since she graduated. Junior HR Analyst. He’s proud of her. 

The rich smell of iron pulls him out of his fantasy daydream on the phone with Rey, and he comes up with a half-hearted reason to excuse himself. He’ll call her back at 11 and they’ll figure out where he’s taking her. 

Ah, fuck. Now Rieekan really is dead. Pistol whipped a little too hard. 

He snaps a picture and sends it to Snoke, then hurries home, thanking his lucky stars that he doesn’t have to deal with the clean-up. He needs to rest up for dinner with Rey tomorrow, doesn’t have time for body disposal. 

Is it a date? He doesn’t know, really. He hopes so.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: weekly updates!  
also me: here's a 3k word update less than six hours later 
> 
> this is mostly a fluffy chapter where our sweet babies get to know each other   
(don't worry there will be plenty of ben killing people next time)

Ben’s smiling in the elevator. He knows Poe finds it unsettling, that’s half the reason. 

The other half of the reason is currently making his pocket vibrate wildly. He’s never had a reason to put his phone on silent. No one ever calls. 

But Rey is a certifiable serial-texter, and he doesn’t want to draw unnecessary attention at work. 

He wants to wait until he’s back at his cubicle to check the texts. Just to tantalize himself a bit. 

He makes it fifteen seconds after the final buzz. 

**Rey K.**   
_Can I ask you something? x_

_It’s weird. _

_Maybe it isn’t weird. You called me baby yesterday. _

_Is that something you’re supposed to mention? _

_I don’t know. Ugh. Forget it. xx_

**Ben Solo**   
_ Haha. Please ask. _

_Baby. _

_:)   
_

Ben cringes at himself and shoves his phone back into his pocket. He knows Rey will be his undoing. Welcomes it, even. 

“Got a girlfriend, Solo?” Poe asks. He’s been quietly nursing coffee from a Starbucks cup since they got on together. “I think Rey will be disappointed.” 

“Huh?” Ben’s head jerks around faster than ever. It hurts his neck more than he’d like to admit. He’s only thirty three and it’s like his bones are already deteriorating. “Why would Rey be disappointed?” 

“Oh my God, Solo. I feel bad about this—I really do—but she straight up asked if you were single during her interview. Like. One-track mind much?” Poe chuckles and Ben bristles. “I mean she just graduated. And you really are dreamy when you’re not being mean. So I didn’t hold it against her.”

Neither of them speak for a minute. “I told her you aren’t seeing anyone. But the way you’re grinning at your phone...ugh. She starts on Monday. I’m sure she’s gonna try and make a move or something. Just let her down easy, yeah?” 

The elevator opens. Ben doesn’t say a word, and Poe doesn’t press the issue while they diverge. He does spare a passing glance down the hall, towards the area he thinks Rey will be working. It’ll be so easy for them to grab lunch or sneak conversations or wow. Kisses. What a thought, stealing kisses with the fresh-out-of-college practically barely legal new HR rep at work. He might as well get a big “C” branded on his neck so everyone knows he’s a creep. 

His phone is buzzing on a loop, and his heart almost stops because it’s probably Snoke letting him know his services are needed elsewhere tonight. 

But no. Rey’s calling him for the second time in 24 hours. 

“Hey, Rey,” he starts as he plops into his desk chair. “I can only talk for a minute.” 

He wiggles his mouse. He’s supposed to turn his computer off before he leaves to save energy or whatever but he doesn’t care and who’s going to enforce that shit, anyway? 

He certainly doesn’t have time to wait for Steam to load every time he turns his desktop on. 

“Hi. Okay. Um. Is this a date, tonight? Or is it just two coworkers? Because I’m at the laundromat and I’m not supposed to wash my hot dress—I mean. Shit. The dress I wear on dates. Not that I’m always going on dates.” 

She stops and sucks in a deep breath. 

Everything about the call so far is making him grin. 

“I’m not—okay. Are we going on a date tonight? I just… Dry cleaning. I’ve never bothered to check the tag on this but it very clearly says dry clean only. Which sucks. But I want to look good for you if it’s a date. And if it isn’t a date, I’m going to just wear my blue jeans.” 

He’s never been able to tease a soul. But it’s so easy with Rey. She’s begging for it. 

“Do you want it to be a date, Rey?” 

He hears shuffling on the other line, but she doesn’t respond. 

“Rey?” 

“Yes?” 

“Do you want it to be a date?” 

“Yes.” 

“Good. So do I.” He pauses for a beat, then adds, “I’ll get my hot dress dry-cleaned, too.” 

She laughs and snorts and then laughs some more because she’s embarrassed about it. He feels himself melting into the back of his chair. It’s a completely involuntary response to how cute and enthralling this woman is. He wants to frame this moment. 

“Okay. I’ll see you tonight, Ben.” 

“See you tonight…baby.” 

She huffs and he can _feel_ her blushing. 

“Okaygoodbye.” 

The line clicks and he closes his eyes to just fucking _revel in it_. Not for long, though. It’s the end of the week and he needs to get Rey’s laptop ready for Monday. 

— 

Rey wasn’t kidding earlier. Her dress is hot as fuck. It’s tight and black and hugs her everywhere that a dress should if its intention is to tantalize the male gaze. 

Which is exactly how Ben Solo finds himself pitching a partial outside of a Red Lobster. 

It’s where Rey wanted to go. She begged him not to judge her, she just loves the biscuits. He can’t lie; he does, too. And so must all the other people crowding the entrance. They’ve got a thirty minute wait, and they’re sitting outside on the furthest bench from the entrance. Rey’s legs are tucked under her and she’s talking, animated as hell, facing his side. 

He’s trying to keep his hands folded in his lap so he won’t reach out and touch her. Sitting forward like this is uncomfortable; his .357 is digging uncomfortably into his pelvis, but it keeps his wandering hands in line. 

He just doesn’t want to take risks with anyone recognizing him. 

“But no, I went back and told Poe that I’m _worth_ $50k. And then he told me he couldn’t do better than $48k. So I said okay, I want an extra vacation day. And he said yes!” 

“Remind me not to get into a negotiation war with the master.” Ben grins at her. She did a good job, he’s proud of her. And she’s so hot right now, pouting like that, nibbling at her bottom lip. He has no idea how he’s speaking at all. “What are you gonna do with that extra day?” 

“No idea! Honestly, I’ll probably just take a Friday and lay in bed all day.” 

Ben stares at her, imagines spending a Friday off work with her in his bed. Snoke would probably ruin it. He doesn’t really get vacation from _that_ job. 

“I have a bunch of vacation time stacked. I never really ask off. I think I’ve got like…six weeks or something of roll-over.” 

“Wow!” Rey’s eyes widen. “You should go somewhere super exotic. Soul-cleansing trip.” 

The words are right at his lips, screaming to roll off of his tongue: _Let me cleanse my soul in your tight little cunt._ But somehow he doesn’t say it. Kylo Ren wouldn’t hesitate, but Ben Solo is a gentleman, he thinks. 

“Maybe I’ll just take thirty Fridays off. Spend ‘em in bed.” He winks at her, very Kylo-esque. He’s proud of himself. He’s probably thoroughly convinced her that he’s witty and well put together. 

“I wish you’d spend them in my bed,” Rey blurts. Her eyes widen, like she really didn’t mean to say it. “Yikes. Sorry.” 

Ben chokes on absolutely nothing and immediately tents in his tight dress pants. So much for seeming well put together. 

“Oh God. I promise I’m not a pervert or anything.” Rey hides her face. “Sometimes I just say whatever’s in my head without thinking about it.” 

He lets out a huff of air and stares at the restaurant. His fingers are inching towards her on their own accord now, and suddenly he’s enveloping her warm knee with his palm. He rubs her with no shred of innocence. No way is he going to look at her, but he doesn’t miss the way she gasps. 

“You’re _really_ soft,” Ben chokes, still circling mindlessly with his palm and looking everywhere but at her. He doesn’t know what else to do. “Y’smell good. I mean can smell your perfume. Good smell, very nice.” 

“Ben—“ 

The stupid buzzer starts freaking out between them on the bench and Ben jumps away like a scolded schoolchild. 

“_Timeforfood_,” he says. He holds out his hand and Rey quickly laces her fingers between his, like she’s afraid he’ll change his mind. 

Fortunately for Rey, there’s a whole two-seater table protecting her relative innocence from the insane psychotic murderer across from her. He doesn’t know what possessed him, feeling her up like that in the parking lot. 

Though he supposes she started it. 

“I told my best friend about you,” Rey admits after her second biscuit. Ben’s just watching her eat, because he can’t believe she’s across from him doing something so…mundane. She’s perfect and she eats. “And then I showed him your picture on the website. Now he calls you daddy.” 

Ben feels his nostrils flare. 

She warned him about this last week, but he’s realizing now that she really, really, _really_ does ramble when she’s nervous. 

“I call you daddy to him, too. I guess that’s your nickname now. I really like these biscuits. God. Can’t even imagine how many calories are in one of these.” 

“I think they’re like 160 a pop.” Ben takes a calming sip of his water. He doesn’t know why he doesn’t choke. He wishes he would because it might relieve some of the pressure in his pants. “Not so bad. Don’t worry, I’m not counting.” 

“Oh. Thanks.” She murmurs, then sighs. “But you probably should count. I have _no_ self control.” 

“Me neither.” Ben doesn’t know if he’s agreeing or warning her, and by the look of her face, she doesn’t either. So he drives the point home a bit. Anything to make her stop calling him daddy in this god-forsaken Red Lobster. “None. Zero.” 

“Clearly you have some self control. You haven’t eaten any biscuits yet.” 

Well, he might have tried, but Rey’s one bite away from finishing the whole batch. 

Ben reaches across the table and grabs the remnants of the last half-eaten biscuit from her hand.

“Checkmate.” 

He pops it into his mouth. 

Rey’s eyes narrow and it scares him a little bit. She’s opening her mouth to say something, but the waitress is back, refilling waters and taking their orders. 

Rey just asks for more biscuits. 

Ben gets soup. It’s light and he doesn’t want to be weighed down later when he fucks Rey or his hand with exaggerated vigor. 

“Are you getting soup because we’re having sex later?” Rey asks when the waitress is out of earshot. Ben really does choke this time and it does nothing to alleviate the pressure, absolutely nothing. “I saw something like that on an episode of The Office. I don’t really like that season at all, it sucks, but I really hope we have sex. I’ve been thinking about it all week. You’re so big, I bet your dick is enormous. Do you like The Office? I really love it. Steve Carrell is so funny.” 

Ben’s too horny to function. Kylo has to take over for a second. 

“I have to disagree; I love that season. And it is enormous. I’m going to split you in half,” he nods stoically. “Tucked the sheets in extra tight so I can fuck you as hard as I want without worrying. I like keeping things tidy, you know? Do you keep things nice and clean or are you a dirty little girl?” 

“Ben,” Rey swallows. Her whole face is red and he should be ashamed of himself but he’s harder than ever now. “I think I brought a knife to a gun fight. Can I…can we talk about dogs or something?”

Ben huffs a relieved breath. He won’t be calm ever again but at least Rey doesn’t want to talk about sex anymore. He’s not sure if he’ll ever be able to walk into a Red Lobster again without getting a hard-on. It’s a sobering thought. 

“What do you do in your free time?” 

Rey hums. “I…okay, don’t laugh—“

Ben’s already chuckling. It’s a reflex. 

“I said don’t laugh!” Rey frowns. “I like cross-stitch. It’s relaxing. And sometimes I paint by number because I’m not that creative but I like mixing the colors. What about you?”

Ben swallows. He can’t very well say he kills people, can he? He does enjoy it. “Oh, you know. Uh…I like watching YouTube videos, I guess. On anything. And I like cooking. Mostly I just work, though.” 

“Huh.” Rey scrunches her nose. “I’ll have to show you the wonders of Paint by Number.”

“Can’t wait, baby,” Ben nods noncommittally and scoots some plates out of the way. Their waitress is back already with Rey’s promised biscuits. 

They eat the rest of their meal in relative silence. Ben doesn’t want to admit this, but this is his first real date. In his thirties, at least. Sure, he fucked a handful of women back when he first got involved with First Order. But he’s been voluntarily celibate for a while and he’s scared it might be obvious. 

“What does your apartment look like?” Rey asks while they make their way back to his car. “Wait, no, don’t tell me. I want it to be a surprise. But I’m gonna guess, okay?” 

“Sure.” Ben chuckles. She’s so innocent and sweet it makes his brain buzz. “Should I tell you if you guess right?”

She’s buckling up and humming. He loves that it’s her first instinct to protect herself. He’s still going to assume that role immediately, though. 

“Yeah, I wanna know. Okay. Black walls. Um…red rugs in your kitchen. I think the fridge is black.” 

“Rey,” Ben sighs. He’s backing out and only paying a little bit of attention. “My fridge is absolutely stainless steel. So far you’re just…wrong. Wow. And here I thought you knew me.” 

“Quit spoiling things!” Rey groans. “Okay. Your comforter is black.” 

“Nope. Gray.” 

“You’re infuriating, Ben Solo.” 

“I can’t wait to fuck you on my gray bed, in my bedroom with _white_ walls.” 

“_Oh._” 

She keeps guessing at things but he doesn’t want to tease her too much. Not until they’re at his apartment, at least.

When he puts his car in park, she shoots him a look like she’s going to eat him for dessert. It takes about five seconds for her to throw her seatbelt off and climb over the partition. She’s straddling his lap, pressing kisses on his forehead and cheeks and then the corner of his mouth. 

It’s the sweetest, sexiest thing he’s ever seen and he’s going to explode in his pants. 

“I know this is weird,” she presses a chaste, quick kiss to his lips. “But I like you so much. I have no fucking clue why aside from the obvious chemistry, you know? Like you’re objectively attractive. But there’s something about you that’s so…” she trails off, growls, and descends upon him. At first it feels like the kiss is just _happening_ to him, like he has absolutely no control over the outcome. He feels butterflies in his stomach, for fuck’s sake. 

A grown man with butterflies from a 23 year old girl. 

She parts from him just as soon as he tries to coax his tongue into her mouth. She’s panting. 

“You’ve got a dark side. I know you do, Ben, I can see it in your eyes. It’s so fucking hot.” 

She grinds against him and he feels the pistol push deeper into his side, as if fate is driving the point home. Could he tell her? He has a beautiful woman in his lap and there’s no way he can’t tell her now because he’s so horny and there hasn’t been enough blood in his brain for hours and—

“I’ve killed at least thirty men. You lose count after a while.” 

Rey looks at him with wide eyes. His heart skips a beat. Did he really say that? Did that really happen? What the fuck was he thinking? 

Then she throws her head back and laughs and he breathes again. 

“I don’t know why that’s so funny. You shouldn’t joke about shit like that.” She wipes at her eyes, she’s laughing so hard it’s making her tear up. “God. You’re lucky I have a good sense of humor.” 

“Yes. I am. Sorry. Kiss me again?” 

She does. Hard. Unrelenting. With tongue, this time, and plenty of that delicious grinding. 

He’s just about to suggest that they go upstairs when his phone chimes. It’s almost ten o’clock and Rey’s in his lap, so he knows exactly who it is. 

“God _fuck_,” he hisses. “Hold on. This might be important.” 

He had the sense to change Hux’s name to “Mom” in his phone earlier, just in case something like this happened. 

**Mom**   
_Need immediate assistance. Same place._

**Ben Solo**   
_K be there in an hour_

**Mom**   
_Make it 30 or hell to pay_

Ben almost wants to cry but he knows it’ll turn Rey off. He buries his face into her neck instead and peppers it with kisses. 

“My mom needs me. _Fuck._ I’m so sorry. Can I come get you tomorrow?” 

“It’s okay.” Rey frowns. He can feel the disappointment radiating off of her skin, but she still nods like she understands. “Um. I have plans this weekend. But I’m free on Monday, after work. And I know I’ll have a lot to tell you even though you’ll be fifty feet away the whole time. And I’ll text you. And um…call you. A lot.” 

Ben wraps a hand around her neck and pulls her down so he can kiss her, long and hard and finite. 

“Gotta take you home now, baby. Can you navigate me there?” 

She nods. 

“Good girl.” 

There are three things he’s more than certain about as he pulls out of the parking lot. First, this was the best date of his life. Second, he’s about thirty minutes out from lodging a bullet into Hux’s stupid ginger skull, professional partnership be damned. Third, his balls _really_ fucking hurt.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warning for allusions to violence and tooth rotting, horrendous fluff

Ben’s half asleep at his desk on Monday morning. 

He’s been out all weekend, running errands for the First Order. They’d gotten a “shipment”—that’s what Hux calls it when they catch three or more guys at a time—and there’s genuine need for information extraction. These guys were former foot-soldiers, errand boys that were privy to a little too much and got spooked a little too fast when the Feds came knocking and blabbed. Fortunately Snoke has eyes on the inside; Ben’s not even sure if he could be prosecuted without taking out half of Coruscant in the process. 

No doubt Rieekan gave these names in exchange for state protection. It’s pretty easy to tell who can’t handle the heat when you’ve been in the business for years. 

Look at how much good that brought him. And how much good it brought these men. 

Two of the three men are still alive, and Ben has to get right back to it after work. He hasn’t slept since Saturday, and even then he was only able to get about three hours while Mitaka prepped the interrogation room with plastic coverings. He wonders what those guys are thinking right now. It’s pretty obvious what’s going to happen to them. 

Ah, well. Best to let them fester. Maybe they’ll break quickly and he’ll be able to go to sleep at a reasonable hour. Though it never really happens like that, Ben’s not a lucky guy. 

He knows he should have taken today off. He does it so rarely that his superiors wouldn’t even question him. There’s hardly anything on his agenda, anyway, he just needs to log into TeamViewer and help Din Djarin activate the newest version of SalesForce at some point. Djarin’s a cool guy and all, but Ben still can’t help but hate him. He wants to learn how to do _everything_ himself, even things like this, which don’t apply to his job in the slightest. 

Wait, why didn’t he take the day off? 

Oh. Right. Rey’s first day. He wouldn’t miss it for the world or a few measly hours of sleep; whichever’s more valuable. 

He squints down at the clock in the bottom-right of his laptop. His vision is blurry from lack of sleep, but he’s pretty sure it says 7:36. He took a shower in the gym downstairs about thirty minutes ago, and promptly changed into some old work clothes he keeps in his trunk. He doesn’t trust himself to go home after long weekends like this. If he sees his couch, he’ll pass out. 

He closes his eyes for a second. Just a second. One second...

“Ben?” Mmm. Rey’s voice. Good dream. 

“Yo. Solo.”

No. Wait. That’s Poe.

Ben’s eyes flutter open and he immediately straightens up in his desk chair. His back and neck are absolutely aching from the position he slumped into, and there’s saliva coating the inside of his elbows where he has his sleeves rolled up. 

He clears his throat. 

“Sorry. Uh…” he starts, but no excuse comes to him. “Huh.” 

He’s caught in a blinking war between Rey and Poe, and no one is opting to speak first. 

“Rey just needs her laptop,” Poe eventually offers. “You said you’d deliver it at 8:30, and we waited around for a bit, but…uh. Yeah. Gotta get going with training.” 

Fuck. Dameron’s going to write him up, he knows it. And now he looks like a complete loser in front of Rey. He’s never done anything like this before, but then again, he’s not getting any younger. He’ll have to talk to Hux about letting him have his fucking weekends back. It’s the busy season, though. Something about summertime really makes Snoke’s enemies crawl out of the woodwork. 

“Of course. Got it right here.” He bends over and pulls Rey’s laptop out of his bag, then squints down at the sticky note he scrawled on Friday afternoon and immediately frowns. Horrible handwriting. “That's your password. And it's a capital C, that's why I underlined it.” 

He finally looks at Rey. She looks great; he’s not surprised. Bold, red lipstick, a little more mascara around the eyes than usual, and just enough blush to look innocent. He doesn’t trust himself to let his gaze linger on the pencil skirt she’s wearing, but her low-cut blouse is tantalizing enough. “Oh, and if you need help with app downloads, let me know.” 

Rey takes the laptop in one hand and grins. “Thanks, Mr. Solo. Hope your mom’s feeling better.” 

Her grip is making him nervous but he’s more unsettled by the mention of his mother. What is she talking about? 

And then Poe’s sticking his big nose into it. “Something going on with your mom, Solo?” 

Rey interjects before Ben can respond. “I ran into Mr. Solo at the pharmacy yesterday. He was buying Zinc tablets, but I turned him onto Sambucus lozenges. They’re much better for preventative care. His mom’s just got a cough or something and he’s been taking care of her and doesn’t want to catch it.” 

She shoots Ben a wink when she’s done and he’s caught between grinning and grimacing at how easily she’s lying. That’s Kylo Ren levels of smooth. 

Speaking of, he’ll need to channel some of that energy now. “Yeah, all the nasal blockage is making her snore. Wasn’t able to sleep a wink last night.” 

“Understood. You’re a good egg, Solo,” Poe sighs, then waves a hand, like he’s making Ben’s transgression disappear. “Just…uh. Try not to fall asleep at your desk again today, because I’ll actually have to write you up and I really don’t want to. Gonna set a bad example for our new hire.” 

“Of course, Poe. Special case. Won’t happen again.” He turns to Rey and smirks. “Make sure HR never catches you snoozing on the job, Kenobi. Rule number one.” 

Rey pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and releases it slowly. “Doesn’t sound like I’ll have much down-time, keeping you from all your mischief.” 

Poe’s eyes travel between Rey and Ben. He can tell Poe’s deeply uncomfortable with the blatant flirting. Ben doesn’t blame him. He’d probably be uncomfortable in Poe’s position, too. 

“Well!” Poe starts walking away, motioning for Rey to follow behind. “Training awaits. I’ll let you do a practice write-up for Solo anyway.” 

Ben rubs his eyes and squints at the clock again. _9:45._

He snorts at the idea of passing out cold for two hours. No missed calls, no new emails, just a text from Hux. 

**Hux**  
_Can you swing by on your lunch break?_

**Ben Solo**  
_Sure_

He really should have ended this ginger prick when he had the chance. 

_Fuck._

— 

It’s 11:58 and Ben’s just now slipping away from his desk. Djarin was as obnoxious as ever today. It should never take an hour to update app credentials. 

Ben’s stops by the bathroom to change and also role-play what he’s going to tell Hux once he gets there. 

He’s glaring at himself in the mirror. “I’m not coming back today. If I don’t sleep, I’m going to lose my fucking day job.” 

No, he doesn’t like that one. Gotta be more forceful. 

“Hux, I’m not coming back tonight. Something came up. Fuck you. Ginger freak.” 

He splashes his face with water and sighs. 

He can’t decide how he wants to swing this, but he’ll swing it regardless. He wants to spend the afternoon with Rey, and he’s going to take an extended lunch to get there. He changes from his work attire to some exercise gear and tennis shoes that he can actually get dirty. Rey’s got eagle eyes and it’ll be hard to justify why he’s gone through two cycles of professional clothing before the end of the day. 

At 12:17, Ben’s got his sleeves rolled up and a heavily weighted sock in one hand. 

By 1:03, he has his first confession and so much blood splattered on his face and neck he’ll need another shower. 

He has to leave in the next thirty minutes if he wants to bathe at all. 

“I’m gonna level with you,” Ben sighs, and squats in front of the hold-out. “I really have to go soon. I’ve got other shit to do. Can’t be like Hux, prancing around, kidnapping scumbags, sleeping whenever I want. I’ve got a real job. So it’s imperative that I keep up appearances, you know?” 

The man’s eyes are wide and he’s nodding. Ben thinks his name is Davin but he doesn’t care to learn. It’s like naming a stray cat; you can’t keep them, so there’s no reason to get attached. 

“So I’m going to loosen this gag. And you’re going to tell me everything, and I’m not going to pull out your fingernails or hit you with a lock in a sock or any of the bullshit I pulled with your friend. Okay? Just tell me what I want to hear and I’ll end it all so peacefully you won’t even know it’s coming.”

He loosens the gag and the man takes in a deep breath, then—

_Fuck._

Ben has to cover his ears because Davin’s positively shrieking. Just the most fearful, pathetic display of terror he’s ever seen. 

Ben throws his stupid aluminum folding chair against the wall and groans so loud it makes his throat hurt. He’s stomping out of the room ten seconds later, not even bothering to replace the gag. Hux can do this. Hux can get the fucking confession by himself. Hux is a big boy and Ben has to _work._

“How’s it goin’, Kylo?” Hux smirks. He’s sitting at a table two rooms away, completely clean, soaked in absolutely zero bodily fluids. There’s a cigar hanging out of his mouth but it isn’t lit. Mitaka and Phasma are actually smoking beside him. 

Ben doesn’t even want to begin to consider what goes on in this man’s brain; Hux is insane and a narcissist and is constantly rubbing Ben’s nose in his perceived superiority. Cool, he’s a General of the First Order, he can make people do things. Ben doesn’t care. Ben just wants to sleep and maybe have Rey with him while he does it. 

“Oh, you know. It’s going. Can’t get—uh—Davin? To say anything. I’ll get him tomorrow, though, I gotta head out for today.” 

Hux laughs. It’s boisterous and condescending and Ben knows exactly why. 

“Kylo Ren, are you asking for the night off?” 

“No. I’m telling you I’m taking the night off.” 

“Funny.” Hux doesn’t look quite so amused now. “No, you’ll be back at 7.” 

“Eat shit, Hux. If I don’t sleep tonight I’m going to kill everyone in this room and then make a cozy twin-sized bed out of your warm bodies. I absolutely, positively swear on the grave of my father that I will do it and I will not give a single _fuck._” 

There’s that ire he was trying to work up in the bathroom. He’s proud of himself, he did a great job. He almost cracks a smile when he imagines telling Rey about _his_ successful negotiation tactics. 

Phasma and Mitaka look terrified, but Hux just rolls his eyes. 

“Alright, drama queen. But you _will_ be here at 7 tomorrow.” 

Ben mimics tipping his hat. “Sure. Have a nice day, y’all.” 

He’s positive he hears Phasma call him an asshole as he’s walking out, but he doesn’t have time to dwell on it. It’s 1:30 and he needs a fucking shower. 

—

No one notices Ben’s two hour absence, and he wonders why he’s never tried taking an extended lunch before. His direct superior works out of the Washington office, and only checks in on Ben remotely. He’s got a program installed that mimics mouse movement every five minutes so his Skype availability never changes to Idle or Offline. The old coot almost never bothers him. 

There’s still nothing to do, so he opens his phone and shoots Rey a text. 

**Ben Solo**  
_Can I interest you in a six hour nap after work?_

She responds almost instantly. Poe must be boring the hell out of her. 

** Rey K.**  
_It’s like you read my mind. _

_I didn’t sleep last night either. I was too excited. :) _

**Ben Solo**  
_ Is the life of a Junior HR Analyst as glamorous as you thought it’d be?_

**Rey K.**  
_Even moreso. But only because there’s a really cute, broody IT guy down the hall._

**Ben Solo**  
_Great. You should meet him at his desk at 5._

**Rey K.**  
_Okeeey will do :)_

Ben grins and shoves his phone away so he doesn’t embarrass himself. 

—

The day passes quickly enough, but Ben _actually_ gets something to do at around 4:58 that needs urgent attention. Some glitch in IE is preventing a VP from e-signing an important document, so he’s having to circumvent company protocol and download Chrome to the guy’s machine. It should only take about fifteen minutes, but that’s fifteen minutes less to spend with Rey. 

Rey doesn’t seem to mind that he’s on the phone when she gets there. She just moves a stack of laptops out of the way and makes herself comfortable sitting on his desk, letting her legs dangle while she plays some new Match-3 game on her phone. It’s almost touching to Ben that she’s not more put out by having to stay late on his behalf. 

Maybe she’s just not jaded to corporate life yet. She doesn’t realize how much of a difference leaving at 5 versus 5:15 can make. 

Ben’s about to put the VP on hold and apologize when she scoots off of the desk and stands behind him. He’s confused at first, but then she starts rubbing his shoulders.

He hears her stifling a giggle as he tenses under her touch. 

“You’re so tense,” she whispers, directly on the shell of his vacant ear. She tuts and wraps a hand around the back of his neck to rub the sore spot from this morning. “Can’t relax with all these knots, baby. No wonder you don’t sleep.” 

The pressure of her hand feels so good that Ben moans. Loud. Right into his microphone. 

He immediately clears his throat. “Sorry, sorry sir. Just so exasperated. Not sure why it isn’t accepting your credentials. Let me try logging in as a Super Admin, okay?” 

Ben leans forward to type into the TeamViewer screen and Rey just follows with her magic fingers. She really is alleviating a lot of the stress, and she seems really happy to do it. 

He’s finally off the phone a few minutes later. Rey’s still rubbing his neck and shoulders, the absolute angel that she is. 

“Did you have a long day?” She asks, but doesn’t wait for his answer. “I didn’t, really. Poe made me do three practice write-ups for you. We did one for sleeping on the job, which apparently has to be escalated to a senior HR analyst immediately. And then I got to do one for insubordination and another for general unpleasantry.” 

She chuckles at herself and digs her thumbs into his shoulder blades, eliciting yet another moan. 

He’s hardly registering what she’s saying but he laughs anyway, because she did. No one’s ever touched him like this, so delicately, sweetly. Never in his entire life. His stomach is positively blooming with butterflies that only this woman could ever possibly give him. 

“I don’t think I’m excited to write people up for real, though. Feels like such a narc thing to do. I just wanna be there for people who need it, lend a helping hand when I can. I dunno. We’ll see how it goes.” 

“You’re gonna be great at this job, sweetheart,” Ben hums. She’s not rubbing as eagerly anymore and it’s okay. She never has to touch him again, that gesture alone was enough for him to cross the precipice from a crush to something more dangerous for both of them. “You care a lot about people. That’s all that matters.” 

Rey bends over and kisses the top of his head. He feels her smile against his scalp before she pulls away. 

“Are we gonna nap here or your place? Because I still haven’t seen your gray comforter.” 

Ben isn’t in control of his body anymore when he whips around in his chair and pulls Rey straight into him. Really, he isn’t. She seems to understand, though, and shifts and straddles his hips until she can sit comfortably in his lap. He doesn’t kiss her, just holds her tight and rests his head right in the crook of her shoulder. 

Her hand snakes up slowly over his neck and cheek and ear until she can scratch the top of his scalp. It feels even better than the impromptu massage. He wants to know who to thank for bringing this woman into his life, someone besides Poe Dameron. 

“I missed you,” he half-breathes, half-groans. “A lot.” 

Rey grins. “I missed you, too,” she starts, but then her grin falls and she starts worrying at her bottom lip. “Um…but I have to admit something.” 

Ben pulls away and quirks a brow, but immediately regrets it when her hand falls away from his head. She uses it to point to her bag on the floor. 

“Uh. Okay. Well I don’t want to seem presumptuous but I brought clothes and my toothbrush so I could spend the night. But I’m totally fine with going home—“ 

She doesn’t get to finish her sentence before Ben’s descending on her, kissing her with the sweetest desperation he’s ever known. She matches his energy, but breaks away after a moment. 

“So it’s okay? For me to spend the night, I mean.” 

“Rey…” Ben nods emphatically. “You’re the sweetest, best person I’ve ever met.” 

For some reason that makes Rey blush and hide her head in his chest. She murmurs something like “no, you” into the fabric of his shirt. 

All he can do is hold her tighter and spin them around and around in his desk chair, slowly. 

_I am so fucked._


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> little bit of fluff +  
little bit of sassy/meddling hux +  
little bit of smut =  
the longest chapter i've ever written 
> 
> SUSPEND YOUR DISBELIEF  
i said it's unrealistic in the tags guys LOL

“Think we’ll make it out of the parking lot this time?” Ben teases, only half-joking. 

He’s just put his car in park and is squinting up at his apartment. It looks like he left all the lights on Friday morning. Oh well, at least it’s clean. 

He turns and watches the tip of Rey’s nose turn pink. She blushes easily, which isn’t something he would have ever thought to find attractive before. Now it might as well be a fetish. 

“I’ll behave, Mr. Solo.” 

As if to prove a point, she unbuckles and holds one hand in the air, using the other to fumble with the handle. 

He’s so tired he’s basically on autopilot. He hardly remembers getting out of the car, only that he groaned like an old man when he stood up and prayed to whoever would listen that Rey didn’t hear him. When he blinks again, he’s at the front door with Rey’s soft fingers tucked firmly between his. It takes him three tries to swipe his keycard correctly. 

“You really didn’t sleep last night, did you?” Rey frowns. She opts to handle pressing all the elevator buttons. “Which floor?” 

“Uh. Eight. And I haven’t slept…since…” Ben laughs. “I got a few hours Saturday afternoon. And a few this morning, but don’t tell HR.”

“Funny. What keeps you so busy?” 

Ben shrugs. “Insomnia.” 

The elevator lurches up so hard that it makes Rey gasp. Ben has to fight the chuckle in his throat. That always happens; he’s pretty sure it’s going to collapse and kill him one day. Just not today. That seems to reset her train of thought, at least. 

“People will suggest melatonin, but if you _really_ wanna knock yourself out for half a day…four Benadryl should do the trick.” She winks. “But don’t tell HR.” 

“Do you actually take four Benadryl at a time?” Ben raises an eyebrow. It’s concerning, but he gets it. “Your poor liver.” 

Rey feigns offense. “Okay, narc. See if I share any over the counter drug wisdom with you again.” 

The doors open and Ben smiles. Really smiles. His apartment is the most beautiful sight to behold after a long weekend, right off the fucking elevator. 

“Home sweet home.” He swings the door open after a few failed attempts at getting the key in the hole—in his defense, it’s a small key and his hands are far too big to be nimble—and Rey immediately sidesteps him to take it all in. There’s nothing particularly interesting about his apartment, but he decides to let her have the moment, anyway. 

“Wow, I love it.” Her eyes are open wide, and she’s twirling around the living room like she’s in an enchanted castle. “Your TV is huge!” 

“Oh. Yeah. It’s uh…guy thing. Gotta have good resolution to watch sportsball and pay-per-view porn.” 

Rey scrunches her nose at him. His vision is kinda blurry, but he can still tell.

“Do you actually buy pay-per-view porn?” 

“Don’t you?” 

Rey giggles and starts bouncing from the couch to the armchair. She decides that the ottoman is actually the comfiest place to sit, despite the lack of back support. Then Ben blinks and she’s in the kitchen, rifling through the beer bottles in his fridge. That might as well be all he has in there. 

“IPAs are really gross.” There’s that nose scrunch again. “Grow up, Ben. Drink milk stouts like a real man.” 

Ben’s heart is pounding and his stomach feels like it’s pumped full of affection and another emotion he doesn’t comprehend yet. Infatuation? Probably. She’s so cute, acting like she owns the place. She can if she really wants to. He doesn’t sleep enough to fight her on it. 

“Can’t wait to scrutinize the contents of your fridge,” he grumbles, but he’s grinning and she is too, now. “C’mon. There will be plenty of time to insult me after our nap.” 

“Oh! Yeah, lemme put on my PJs.” Rey slams the fridge door shut and zigzags through the house like a pinball to get her bag and hide in the bathroom for a few minutes. 

Ben decides to do the same, though he’s just going to be losing layers, not adding them back. He tugs his shirt and pants off and tosses them onto the couch, leaving him in his boxers, then leans against the wall while he waits for her to be done. He hopes Rey won’t mind, it’s the only way he can sleep. 

She walks out of the hallway bathroom in a cotton long-sleeved top and pants with clouds on them. And she most certainly seems to mind. 

She gapes at him for a minute before squeaking out, “oh.” 

Ben frowns. 

“I’ll put on pants.” 

“Don’t.” 

Ben quirks a brow, and he watches her suck her bottom lip into her mouth. 

“You just…wow. Nice.” 

“Nice?” 

Rey doesn’t answer, just starts tugging on his hand. She opens the HVAC closet instead of the bedroom and then acts bashful about it when Ben snorts. He wants to _squeeze_ her she’s so cute. 

“It’s this one,” he says, motioning to the only other door in the hallway. She twists the handle and her eyes light up again. His bedroom isn’t really much to write home about, just a queen on the wall and a dresser and nightstand. The bed is still made up immaculately from when he was trying to impress Rey on Friday night, so maybe that’s why she seems so impressed? “Is it up to snuff, Rey?” 

“Yes.” 

“Nothing to make fun of?” Ben nudges her with his shoulder. “The comforter is pretty feminine. C’mon.” 

Rey starts folding her hands over her waist. “I’m nervous.” 

“We’re not going to do anything you don’t want to do, Rey. I promise. I really am tired, and if all I get to do is squeeze you tight in my sleep, I’ll be the happiest man in Coruscant. Seriously.” 

“Okay, okay.” Rey nods and then hums like she’s thinking about what it is that she actually wants. “Nap first, mess around later.” 

Ben can’t help but sigh in relief. If she wanted more, he’d give it to her on a silver platter, but he’s way too exhausted to make a good impression in bed today. 

“Oh! Memory foam!” Rey looks positively giddy while she snuggles into the mattress. It makes him feel giddy, too. He remembers saying the same thing when he tested it out in the store. 

He slips in beside her and presses a kiss to her forehead. She snuggles into his chest, whispers “night night” in that perfect little accent, and then the world goes blissfully dark. 

— 

Ben jolts awake at the sound of his ringtone and Rey shoots up after him. He feels around the bed for his phone, then silences it and tosses it away when he realizes it’s just Hux calling. 

It’s pitch-black in his room now. He doesn’t remember turning his box fan on, but it’s blowing away. Did he leave that on all weekend, too? Man. His electric bill is gonna be like, five extra dollars this month. 

At least he finally feels well-rested. 

Rey stretches, yawns, and plops back down onto the mattress beside him. She’s idly tracing circles on his bicep and it tickles and he never wants her to stop. “What time is it?” 

“It’s…” Ben squints at the clock on his Google Home. “12:17.” 

“Oh. Dinnertime.” 

“Mhm. What do you want?” 

Rey taps her chin. “Food.” 

“That narrows it down, thanks babe.” Ben wants to roll his eyes, but he can’t. Not at Rey. Not that she’d see it, but still. “Your options are cheap pizza, slightly less cheap pizza, and breakfast food.” 

Rey groans and curls back into his side. “I’ll take,” she starts, “…breakfast food for 200, Alex.” 

Ben leans over to feel around his nightstand for a Denny’s menu. It’s laminated, but the corners are frayed. He feels a little embarrassed handing it to her. She’s gonna know he keeps the weirdest hours of anyone in the city. He’s pretty much a regular at any 24 hour eatery that will have him.

“Don’t insult me,” Rey frowns and shoves the menu back without even glancing at it. “I’d like the Grand Slamwich and—wait, you’re paying, right?” 

Ben nods.

“Thank you. I’ll spoil you when I get my first paycheck, I promise. Double hash browns, then. Not triple. Do you have ketchup here?” 

“Uh…yeah. I think so.” 

“I can’t accept ‘I think so’ as an answer, Ben Solo.” She scoots off the bed and—is she frolicking?—_frolics_ down the hallway. He hears the refrigerator open a few moments later, and then she’s back. “Yes. You have ketchup.” 

Ben’s mouth is curled up, but he doesn’t really know what to say. He’s certainly never had a woman check his fridge for their favorite condiments before. 

“So you want a Grand Slamwich and double hash browns?” Ben repeats. “Because that’s what I get and it’s a _lot_ of food.” 

“I just told you not to insult me.” 

Ben holds his hands up in surrender and tries to find his phone. He’s heard it buzz a few times since he tossed it away, but he won’t be opening the messages or listening to the voicemails. He told Hux no, and that’s that. He’ll be back tomorrow. 

They end up ordering on his laptop, anyway. He can’t find his phone. Rey promises him she’ll handle greeting and tipping the delivery driver—the least she can do, she says—though Ben has a sneaking suspicion that she just doesn’t want him to get dressed. 

They end up on the couch. It’s almost natural, the way Rey ends up right back in his lap. Her body was made to fit snug against his, her back to his chest while he holds her tight and she figures out what the hell they’re going to watch. Or not watch, with the way she mewls when he works his palm against the soft fabric covering her thigh. She pushes back against him, rolling her shoulders to get more comfortable, and Ben cranes his neck to kiss her just like that. A groan falls from the back of his throat when she grabs his hand and presses it against her center, he can feel exactly how wet she is through both layers of fabric. He’s just about to slip his fingers under her waistband when there’s a knock at the door. 

Rey giggles, and Ben grumbles while she slips out of his lap. 

“That was fast, huh?” 

Ben shrugs. “They’re around the corner. Tip well, I guess.” 

“Don’t… move…” She points the remote at him and presses pause. “A muscle.” 

Ben grumbles again but makes a point of sitting still while she goes to the door. 

“Oh. Hi. Uh—” Rey’s immediately cut off by a gruff voice. 

“Who the fuck are you? Where is Kylo Ren?” 

Ben panics and immediately reaches under the couch and pulls out the first handgun he finds, then tugs on his sweatpants as quickly as he can. At least he tossed them on the couch earlier. He’s pretty sure they’re on backwards, but he’d rather keep Rey safe than preserve his ego. 

It's most likely just Hux and an overeager underling at the door. He can handle that, but he’s not sure how to explain it to Rey later. 

“Uh, Ben…” Rey backs away from the threshold. “There are two scary men at the door—“ 

The gruff-voiced man starts walking in. “Who the _fuck_ is Ben?” 

Ben makes sure the gun is actually loaded. It is. He starts walking over, then he hears Hux laughing and relaxes as much as he can. Well, Hux isn’t exactly laughing. He’s cackling like a hyena. 

“It’s Kylo Ren’s secret identity, Snap. Or vice versa? Not sure.” Hux looks Rey up and down with a sneer. “I didn’t know he had a daughter, though.” 

Rey’s mouth opens indignantly. “I’m 23!” 

Hux bursts out laughing again and Ben finally steps in front of her, gun hanging limply by his side. “Why the fuck are you showing up at my house at midnight, asshole?” 

“If you’d answer your phone, you’d know.” 

Ben fights a growl. “I left it at work.” 

“Right, right. If you need more money, you can just ask. You don’t have to pick up babysitting gigs.” 

“You mother _fucker_,” Ben growls. He’s snapped. It’s a long time coming, really. Snap sidesteps him while Ben grabs Hux’s gelled up hair and shoves his gun under his chin. “Say one more thing about her. I fucking dare you.” 

Hux tries to feign shock for a minute, but then he’s cackling. Again. Like it's all just a fucking _joke._

“You’ll shoot your hand off if you pull the trigger, buddy. C’mon. What’s a little playful ribbing between friends?” 

“I’m not your friend—“ 

Someone clears their throat down the hall. It’s the delivery guy. In his anger, Ben didn't even hear the elevator open or close. 

Ben casts him a sideways glance. He knows how this must look—he’s still got the gun pressed firmly under Hux’s chin, gripping so hard his knuckles are white. 

He sucks in a deep breath and loosens his grip on Hux just enough to turn his head to the door. 

“Rey, sweetheart? Can you grab $100 from my wallet and give it to this nice gentleman?” 

“Two hundred,” the delivery man corrects, and Ben groans. 

“Two hundred, babe. Can you do that? Wallet’s right on the counter.” 

Rey doesn’t look nearly as perturbed as she should. Maybe she’s in shock. She scratches her nose for a second and then makes her way to the kitchen to snatch up Ben’s wallet. She has to scoot between Ben and the doorframe to get into the hallway, but she manages, and sounds cheerful enough completing the transaction. 

“We’re roleplaying,” she explains after passing the bills over. “These are my boyfriends. Aren’t they cute?” 

“Eh. I’ve seen worse.” The delivery guy shrugs and hands her a gratuitously large plastic bag. It’s clear and has the Denny’s logo on it. “Have a nice night, ma’am.” 

“Can we all go inside?” Rey asks when the delivery guy slips into the elevator. “I’m really hungry.” 

“Eh?” Hux regards her, passively, brow raised. “Get your creepy uncle to stop manhandling me. It’s not nearly as charming as it was five minutes ago.” 

“Down, boy,” Rey giggles. She tugs on the arm that’s holding Hux’s hair and Ben releases his grip completely. “c’mon.” 

They all end up settling down in the living room. Rey immediately starts in on her sandwich, and Ben just sits back and glares at Hux. 

“We’ve got another shipment,” Hux eventually offers, when he realizes Ben isn’t going to inquire about the reason behind his impromptu visit. “Rieekan had a bigger mouth than we thought. Uh—how much does she know? She’s gonna have to get vetted now anyway.” 

Ben sighs and sinks further into the couch. This is not how (or when) he intended on having this conversation. 

“She knows I sell weed. Don’t worry about it,” he lies. This was going to be his cover, anyway. She really can’t know the truth. For her own sake. “Rey, this is my supplier.” 

“Cool, cool.” Rey’s halfway done with her hash browns. Ben didn’t notice, but she grabbed ketchup at some point. She must have finished half the bottle by herself. “Hi, supplier.”

Hux cackles again and Ben pictures himself sliding over the table, strangling the life out of him. It’s almost calming. He tries his best to breathe. 

“Are you two dating?” 

Ben says “no” and Rey says “yes” in unison. 

“Er…kind of.” Ben pinches the bridge of his nose. “This is our second date.” 

“Are you serious about her?” 

“Jesus, Hux. Shut the fuck up.” 

“If you’re serious about her, you need to tell me now.” 

Ben squints at Rey. She has a blank expression, and he’s not surprised. He respects her moxie as much as he can in a situation like this, but it would have been a lot easier if she’d run away screaming. 

“Yes. I’m serious about her.” 

“Fantastic, I won’t have her killed then. Listen, sweetie, your boyfriend is a bad man. I’m a bad man, too, but I’m not nearly as bad as he is. He _loves_ to get his hands dirty, gets off on it. Make sense?” 

Rey’s nibbling on her bottom lip now, in that nervous way. This is starting to get to her. Ben doesn’t know how it wasn’t getting to her before. 

“Yeah, I get it. I grew up dirt poor in the system, it’s hard to shock me. You’re First Order, right?” 

Hux winks at her. “My reputation must precede me.” 

“I’ve seen you on TV. Wanted man and all.” Rey pushes her to-go box away. “You killed all those people.” 

“Me? Oh, sweetheart, no—“ 

“Hux, leave her out of this.” Ben’s heart is in his throat now. He’s been too passive letting this conversation unfold. He sets his jaw and tries not to sound too vicious. He wants to deescalate the situation as much as he can, he can’t risk more coming out. Then Rey really will run away screaming. “The less she knows, the better. She’s not going to say anything.”

“Why don’t you tell her what you do to people who say something? Just as insurance.” Hux is leaning back on his hands now, clearly enjoying himself. None of this was necessary and he knows it. He just gets off on ruining Ben’s life. “I’m sure you’ve got some examples on your phone.” 

“If you don’t shut the _fuck up_—“

Hux snorts. “What, are you going to kill me, too?” 

Rey sucks in a breath. It must be clicking now. 

She squints at Ben and his heart threatens to stop beating completely. “You weren’t kidding, were you? When you said you kill people?” 

“Oh, so you’ve already told her?” 

“I can’t wait until Snoke lets me dismember you,” Ben growls. “Get the fuck out of my house.” 

“Just be there in two hours. And learn to pick up your fucking phone, consider this your punishment.” 

Ben jumps up and growls, spitting about Hux having no right to dole out _any_ punishments, but Hux just shoots a middle finger over his shoulder and walks out with Snap in tow. Ben’s alone with Rey again and he can’t even force coherent words out of his mouth. 

“Your food’s getting cold,” she finally remarks, distantly. “Might wanna heat it up.” 

“Are you scared of me?” 

“Should I be?”

“No.” 

“Mm.” Rey hums, like she’s considering the answer. “I’m a little bit scared. Only because…I don’t know. You seem gentle. I feel like this is a bad dream and I’m going to wake up and you’ll just be a cute, cranky IT guy again. No mob murder involved.” 

“I, uh…compartmentalize. What I do. Just shove it in a drawer, I guess.” Ben leans back against the wall. His anger is dissipating and now he’s just…anxious. Hux knows that no legal issues will come out of this, and Ben knows that Rey is too smart to even try. It’s just embarrassing now. “The cute, cranky IT guy never mixes with the mob murderer. They’re very distinct entities. You can have the former with none of the latter. You’re not—you’re not in danger or anything, as long as you’re never caught talking to the police.”

“Were you ever going to tell me?”

“Would you ever want to know?”

“No,” Rey murmurs. “I wouldn’t.” 

“Then probably not. Do you want me to justify myself?” 

“No.” 

“Can I do it anyway?” 

Rey shrugs. 

“I owe this man my life. The uh…guy we work for. Hux is kind of the face of the operation, right? That’s why you recognize him. But he isn’t in charge. The man that is…again, he saved my life. And invested in giving me a very particular skillset, one I’ve been honing since I was a teenager. Does that make sense? He’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a father. This is how I pay him back, for believing in me, for loving me. Being my…rock. Discipline. Teacher. It’s very important that I give the appearance of a normal life. I can’t afford to run around like Hux, for a few reasons that I’ll tell you if you decide to stay. I’m very behind the scenes.” 

“Is that it? That’s your justification?” 

Ben doesn’t know what to say, so he doesn’t say anything. Just nods. 

“That’s really boring, Ben Solo.” Rey scoots off of the ottoman and onto the floor and pulls her to-go box back to her with renewed hunger. “I was expecting a well-fleshed out backstory, for a bonafide super-villain like you.” She takes a ketchup-smothered bite of hash browns and stares at him. “But I guess that makes sense. I don’t know. New territory for me.”

“It’s never as glamorous as it seems in movies. People do things because they do them.” 

“Yeah, yeah. I just don’t really get your motivation. Maybe I should do a character study.” 

Ben snorts. “I don’t see how you can be so cavalier about this.” 

“I told you, I knew you had a dark side. There’s a glimmer in your eyes, you’re dangerous. But I know you’re not dangerous to me, which just makes you more…” She grunts and huffs air through her teeth. Ben can tell she’s struggling to complete the sentence. “…attractive.” 

“Yeah, I’m not really getting your motivation here, either, Rey,” Ben sighs. He sit down next to her on the floor, surprised when she doesn’t move or flinch. He sprawls the length of his fingers over her knee. He doesn’t want her to scoot away. His voice lowers, and he’s hardly speaking above a whisper anymore. “You just fucked up? Is that what it is?” 

“Well that’s what it is for you, right? You’re just crazy? Fucked up?” 

“Yes.” 

“I think so,” Rey murmurs. She shoves her last bite of sandwich into her mouth and wipes her greasy fingers on her pajama pants. “Are you Ben Solo or Kylo Ren?” 

“Somewhere in the middle.” 

Her nose scrunches. “Ben Ren or Kylo Solo?”

Ben coughs back laughter. “Kylo Ben Solo Ren?” 

“I absolutely, positively hate that,” Rey laughs and turns her head to face him. Her eyes seem like they’re focused on something distant, like she’s looking right through him. “Just kiss me before my sense of self-preservation kicks in.” 

Ben grunts in agreement and leans in. He starts kissing her softly, barely letting their lips brush. He’s surprised when she’s the one that deepens the kiss, running her tongue along his bottom lip to beg for access to his tongue. After a few moments, they’re leaning over so she’s laying on the floor, Ben’s elbows supporting his weight on either side of her. They’re both fighting for dominance. Ben cedes first when she weaves her hand through his hair and tugs. 

“Eat me out,” she pants, millimeters from his lips. “Just…fucking make me come.”

“God, yes. _Oh fuck._ Okay.” 

Ben sits up and tugs on her bottoms, pulling her panties and pajamas down to her knees. He crawls back and works his head under so he’s trapped between her legs by the fabric and immediately descends on her like a man starved. Her hands are back in his hair almost immediately. She keens and groans while he laps at her, alternating between swirling his tongue around her mound and shoving it inside her to devour as much of her slick as he can before it seeps onto his chin. Eventually he settles on her clit and uses two of his fingers to stimulate her g-spot. Her legs tremble and she presses them against his cheeks so hard that he can’t breathe. There are white spots forming behind his eyes from the lack of oxygen but he doesn’t stop devouring her. 

She finishes, loudly, and releases her grip on his face. He pants and catches as much breath as he can but he doesn’t stop eating her out until her sounds stop and she’s gasping for breath herself. 

He looks up from her mound and smirks. She’s staring down at him, hands still tangled, chest rising and falling in time with her breaths. 

He kisses her mound one more time before he slips out from under her pants and it makes her hips jerk. 

Then she’s sitting up and pushing him over, kicking her pants off and straddling his hips. She holds his hands over his head and kisses him again. Ben never imagined she’d be the type to enjoy the taste of herself on a man’s lips, but she seems to be even more interested in tangling their tongues together now. He wishes he knew what was going on in her head. 

“You’ve gotta go soon, right?” She asks. He can’t help the whimper he makes when she pulls away. He tries to tug her back down, but she scoots back so she’s straddling his erection between her legs. He can feel her slick wetness coating his sweatpants. “Answer me,” she huffs, working her way up his length. 

“Yes. _Yes_, don’t stop.” 

“I’m going to _let_ you finish in your pants. You lied to me, so you don’t get to know how tight and wet my pussy is yet. Okay?” 

“Okay. Okay, baby, that’s fair,” Ben breathes, only half registering anything she’s saying. It feels too good having her rubbing against him. The fabric is rubbing him the wrong way, but it’s the sweetest agony he’s ever felt. “Please don’t…fuck…” his hands fly up and he grips her hips to help her find the best rhythm. His head falls back and he’s moaning, slipping past the precipice within seconds. He grunts and cries out when he feels cum pooling at his waistband and leaking out onto his stomach. 

“God, Rey. Good. So good.” 

Rey leans forward and presses a kiss on his nose. 

“I know.” 

“I don’t deserve you.” 

“Mm. Jury’s still out on that one.” Rey says as she shuffles off of him. 

He’s a panting, sweating mess on the floor, and he has a feeling she prefers him that way. 

Ben pushes himself up on his elbows and watches her walk into the kitchen. God, her ass is perfect. 

“Do you still want to see me, Rey?” 

“Yes.” 

“You shouldn’t.” 

“I know.” 

Ben chuckles and stares at his ceiling in disbelief. He’s had a nap, a healthy dose of honesty with the only woman he’s ever felt even remotely sure about, and the sexiest experience of his adult life. And Rey doesn’t even want to fucking leave him. The only thing that would make this night better would be if he could fall asleep with her again. 

_Fuck you, Hux,_ he thinks as he collapses back onto the floor. Rey squats down beside him and hands him a glass of water. _Ginger fuck._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ok plot is about to hit hard 
> 
> enjoy some gratuitous violence that we will circle back to in a few chappies. if that's not your thing, skip to the paragraph starting with "Go fish,"

“It’s not that I lack empathy,” Ben sighs, using his thumb and forefinger to capture the chin of the man in front of him. Big, brown eyes blink back at him. They’re wrinkled around the edges, like his mom’s; he’s old, wise, maybe, but Ben doesn’t care to find out. “I’m just not your fucking therapist, man. Barking up the wrong tree.” 

Ben squeezes his chin as hard as he can, until his hand starts to cramp, and then pushes him back with all the force he can manage. The lumbar support on the chair the man is tethered to (and then his head) hit the ground with a sickening _crack_. The silence following the sound is like heaven to him; this guy hasn’t shut up since Ben walked in. 

He moans, then groans, then sobs brokenly. Ben rolls his eyes. He knows the game, he’s danced this dance a million times. Guy’s about to lie or offer money or both. 

There’s a hitch in his breath when he begins to speak, but Ben cuts him off. 

“Tell me your name.” 

“…Wedge.” 

Ben snorts as he peers over the chair. He wants to see Wedge’s face when he insults him. “That’s stupid as fuck. Really?” 

He must know Ben is watching him now, because all he does is nod. Weakly. 

“Nice. They call me Kylo Ren, right? ‘Bout as inspired as Wedge. It’s not my real name, though.” 

Ben doesn’t get much of a response from Wedge. He bends over and pulls the chair back up, holding in a chuckle while the man sloshes in the bindings. Wedge gives him a weak look, and Ben grins. It’s his calling card. The last thing these pieces of shit get to see is his shit eating grin and he fucking _revels_ it. 

“I’m Benjamin. Means ‘son of the right hand.’ Kind of a misnomer, when you think about it.” 

Wedge looks confused. 

“I _am_ the right hand.” Ben pulls the safety on his gun back. “And I’ve invested a bit too much time in something that’s not going to yield any favorable results. Got an old lady now, need to get some rest so I’m nice and ready for our weekend together. You got an old lady, Wedge?” 

Wedge shakes his head. 

“Sad.” Ben tuts. “Anyway—if it makes you feel better, I would have done this if you’d talked or not. Rats are rats, no matter how many people they chatter to.” 

He doesn’t even wince at the sound of the gunshot, just wipes the coppery splatter crowding around his mouth with the back of his sleeve. Wedge is the last in this shipment to go. Ben’s had a long week thanks to Rieekan, and he has half a mind to demand some vacation time. 

He’s yawning when his feet guide him into the common area. Phasma is out cold, snoring into the crook of her elbow. Mitaka and Hux are silently playing cards and drinking beer. They’re quiet out of respect for Phasma, but the woman could sleep through just about anything. Snap’s got his headphones in. _Must be nice to listen to music while you work_, Ben thinks. He’s not even allowed to do that at his day job. 

“Go fish,” Ben grunts over Mitaka’s shoulder. Mitaka jumps, which is Ben’s desired response. He has no idea how someone as jerky as Mitaka could possibly make it into this room, with these people, these connections. The kid can’t be without merit, though. They’ve all proved themselves in one way or another. 

Ben rests his elbows on Mitaka’s head and leans forward. Mitaka, for his part, allows it. “Apparently there’s gonna be a raid next week. Several warehouses in town. They’re still scoping out potential locations, I guess. Should probably close up shop.” 

“Interesting.” Hux hums as he considers this. “Which one told you this?” 

“Jarrus. Liked that guy.”

“I fold, man.” Hux sighs and places his cards face down on the table. “We’ll get the cleaning crew in by sunrise. How’s your little sidepiece, Kylo?” 

“She’s…alright.” Ben bristles for a moment, then leans off of Mitaka to make for the door. “Been nice catching up, but I’m gonna head out now.” 

“Wait,” Hux says, with more force in his tone than usual. “She’s clean. Almost too clean, really. Not a single connection out of place.” 

“I already knew that, but thanks for letting me know,” Ben calls over his shoulder. “And I’ll be out of town this weekend. Don’t call me.” 

“Wasn’t planning on it. Even daddy thinks you’ve earned some time off.” 

Ben scoffs. It’s beyond disrespectful for Hux to refer to Snoke as daddy, but even still…it’s fairly accurate. For both of them. He doesn’t merit the comment with a response regardless. 

It’s been almost four days since he’s last seen Rey. The general new-hire orientation process has taken her into another building for the rest of the week, and neither of them have had time to do anything but text each other good morning and good night. Well…maybe she’s been a little bit bad and sent a scandalous picture or two to remind him that he’s the luckiest man on Earth. He’s not at liberty to say. 

Ben knows she’s a little uncomfortable, so he plans on showing her a romantic weekend away. They’ve got a cabin waiting for them, nestled nice and deep in the mountains. He’s not even bringing his phone—he sure as hell isn’t inviting his alter ego along. This is all so she can get to know Ben better, to help her separate him from Kylo Ren. _Compartmentalize_, the way that Ben does. 

Ben is a good man and an even better boyfriend. Beyond the gamut of romantic courtesy, which Hux has already extended her, Rey doesn’t even need to know that Kylo Ren exists. 

It’s only 2:30, which means Ben can grab four hours of sleep if he books it home and rushes his shower. So he does. He’s already packed and ready to go from the night before. 

He remembers to pull his phone out of his pocket before he tosses his joggers into the washer. Rey’s sent him three texts since he started working, and he grins as he opens them. 

**Rey**   
_ [8:03 pm] Happy Thursday. :) Sooo I really need help getting the page for Direct Deposit to load. I’m about to miss the deadline for this pay period._

_[8:47 pm] Oh wait I switched to Google Chrome and it worked. Never mind. _

_[12:14 am] I like you very much. Also you’re cute. Goodnight. _

** Ben Solo **

_ [3:02 am] I like you more. Also you’re cuter. Goodnight sweetheart. :) _

Ben knows it’s…domestic? Normal? But that’s what he wants, what he craves. Rey is good for him. His mom’s going to love her, if he ever gets around to returning her calls and setting up a dinner. Snoke needs to approve first. Ben has to approach those meetings with the utmost finesse, both to avoid implicating himself and also to extract as much information about the First Order investigation as possible. Get a few glasses of wine in his mom and she sings like a canary. It’s almost funny. If she was First Order, Ben would have already had to kill her. She works for the government, though, and they’re pussies about that kind of thing. 

It’s not out of the ordinary for a mother to trust her son, either. Especially when she thinks he’s just an IT guy. 

He falls asleep with the memory of Rey’s slightly parted, full, pink lips behind his eyelids. She’s perfect. He can’t even remember what Wedge looks like anymore. 

— 

Ben’s under his desk in a futile attempt to organize the wires he’s amassed over the last month. He’s been so exhausted that he’s just plugged shit in without a care, and it’s been biting him in the ass lately. He hears footsteps and instinctively reaches for a weapon that isn’t there. He has to take a breath to steady himself—some instincts die hard—and he’s glad he didn’t turn around all threatening when he realizes it’s just Rey. He wasn’t expecting her for another thirty minutes. 

“Don’t stop on my account,” she grins. She’s holding a bag of gummy bears. He recognizes it as the shitty off-brand of Haribo that they stock in the vending machine on this floor. “I was enjoying the view.” 

“Give me one,” Ben grunts. Rey tosses a gummy at him and it bounces off of his nose, right into the floor. He shrugs and pops it into his mouth anyway. “Cherry’s my favorite. Save those for the drive.” 

Rey hums an affirmative and plops into his desk chair. 

“I told my roommate you’re a volunteer tutor for adults learning English as a second language, and you’ve gotta do it at night since they’re working during the day. He thinks you’re a saint.” 

Ben huffs air through his nose. “Wish I’d thought of that.” 

“I did it for two years. Met a lot of friends that way.” 

“So you’re an actual saint?” Ben asks. He shoves one last plug into the wall and grumbles. This is a problem for Monday Ben now, there’s an actual angel in his cube and she needs immediate attention. 

“I like to pretend, sure,” Rey murmurs. She yelps when Ben picks her up from chair and squeezes her tight against his chest, but squeezes him back even harder when she gets her bearings. 

“I missed you so much, Rey.” 

She giggles into his neck. “I missed you too.” 

“Did they let you out early?” Rey shifts out of his arms and he lets her slip back onto the ground. “Kinda? Poe’s gone, so I’m free to commit wage theft.” 

“Can I put you to work, then?” Ben asks. 

“Hmmm…” Rey pretends to look at the time. “You’ve got 27 minutes with me. Then I’m off the clock. Gotta meet my boyfriend.” 

“Lucky guy. You know how to wipe a laptop?” 

Rey shakes her head. 

“It’s easy, I’ll show you.” Ben bends over and pulls out a stack of six laptops. “Just need you to get to the Windows 10 installation prompt. I’ll handle the rest on Monday.” 

Rey sits in his chair while he leans over her and shows her the process on the first laptop. She contends that it is easy, and Ben contends that he’s very much overpaid for this Desktop Support role. He continues to lean over her while she tries the second laptop on her own. His fingers ghost the skin over her arms. It’s hard to fight his smirk when she shivers under him and he realizes he’s giving her goosebumps. 

“You’re so sensitive,” he whispers into her ear. He can’t stop himself from nibbling at her earlobe, or running his tongue across the flesh after. She croons. “Makes me wonder what you’ll sound like when I’m inside you tonight.” 

Rey bristles underneath him. The way her breath hitches makes his cock twitch in his pants. He still doesn’t know who to thank for this perfect creature, but he’s ready to give it his all. 

“This is clearly harassment,” she shoots back playfully. “I should write you up.” 

“You wanna punish me, Rey?” 

“No, I want Poe to.” 

“No thanks.” Ben gives her ear one last nip and pulls away. He still has a few other things to do, and he doesn’t want to make her stay overtime on his behalf. Again. 

They’re out of the office by 5:06. Rey has one big suitcase, and Ben fights the urge to tell her she’s overpacked. She won’t need a single shred of clothing once they get there. 

The drive is nice. His mom’s cabin isn’t too far, about an hour and a half drive out of the city. Rey carefully avoids eating the cherry gummy bears as they drive, and feeds them to Ben when she feels he’s adequately followed arbitrary traffic laws. It’s cute in a way he could have never predicted. Every strange little thing she does is exactly what he needs. 

“Nice. Isolated,” she eventually comments. They’re about ten minutes out, and they’ve just passed the closest gas station. “Have you killed anyone out here?” 

“_Jesus._” Ben nearly chokes on his spit, slightly thicker thanks to the corn syrup in the gummy bears. “Fuck. No, I haven’t killed anyone out here.”

“So I’ll be the first?” 

Ben fights the urge to slam on the brakes. He’s certainly taken aback enough to do so, but he realizes that will send Rey flying into the dashboard and the airbag might actually kill her then. 

“I’m not going to kill you, Rey. Shit.” He risks looking away from the road to give her a pointed stare. “Do you think I’d hurt you?” 

“Lighten up, Ben.” Rey throws her head back and laughs. Heartily. It’s even more disarming than the nature of the conversation. “If I was actually worried about that, I wouldn’t be here.” 

_Lighten up_, he thinks. She jokes about death and laughs in the face of danger. The thought sends a chill down his spine. 

“I don’t like that joke,” he sighs. His fingers absently toy with the radio dial in his car. All that does is change the volume of static coming through the speakers. They lost access to everything that isn’t country music twenty miles ago, and Rey has made it abundantly clear that she has no interest in listening to _that._ “Guess I’m too old for that self-deprecating Gen-Z humor. I just don’t get it anymore.” 

“It’s okay. I’ll help you get hip this weekend. I think a good sense of humor can be sexually transmitted.” 

Ben manages a snort at that. Rey holds her hand over the console and he opts to drive one-handed for the last few miles of their journey. There are no more gummy bears to reward his good road behavior with, anyway. 

“You’re weird, Rey.” 

Rey beams. “You love it.” 

“You have no idea.” 

Ben pulls his hand away to make the sharp turn into a gravel driveway. His mom’s cabin is basically his home away from home. He’s never taken another living, breathing soul here. But Rey is basically half of his own soul already, so she deserves to experience it. Fucking her into the mattress he spent so many weekends on as a kid is an attractive idea, too. 

It’s an A-line cabin. Douglas fir logs, stained dark brown. He remembers watching his dad help the builders pick the stain color. His mom almost crumbled when they’d asked for her opinion—she was so stressed back then just being a lawyer in a male dominated public service industry in one of the largest cities in the country. Even the idea of having to commit to _wood stain_ was too much for her. Her emotions are more guarded now that she’s at the top of that career ladder, anyway. And especially now that Han is dead.

Ben condemns that last thought to the back of his brain where it belongs. His heart never beat for his father. He was disappointing. 

Instead, he focuses on the beautiful woman grinning at the sight of his childhood getaway. There’s still a wreath on the front door from Christmas—Ben supposes that’s the last time this place got any use. 

“It’s a lot prettier when it’s snowing,” Ben smiles down at her. He starts unbuckling his seatbelt, and Rey follows suit. “But it’s also nice at dusk. You should still be able to see some fireflies.” 

Rey slips out from the seat and squints at the horizon for a second. Ben busies himself getting their suitcases out. He doesn’t want to make two trips, but there’s food in the back, too. He’s balancing a gallon of water on the handle of his luggage when he hears Rey make a break for it. 

She’s stalking what he now realizes is a firefly with all the grace and agility of a jungle cat. 

He chuckles to himself and pulls everything onto the front porch, keeping her in his peripheral vision in the meantime. 

“I caught it!” Rey yells from at least an acre away. The sound carries in the woods and Ben’s grin couldn’t possibly get any wider. She’s all innocence, sweetness and wonder. He never thought that was a kink of his, but the results of that fact were fairly tangible all week—and right now. 

He’s bending over ten minutes later, trying to produce something akin to a flame in the fireplace, when he hears her padding around the kitchen. She’s opening cabinets, saying “ooo” and “aah” every time something piques her interest. This particular sound of wonder is probably directed at the 20 or so cans of cranberry sauce under the kitchen sink. The maid always picks two or three cans up for the holidays even though Ben and his mother can’t stand the shit. His dad really liked it, though. 

His heart thrums again. He shoves those feelings in a drawer and slams it shut and his grip on the kindling gets so severe his knuckles turn white—

“Can we move here? Full-time? I don’t think I’d mind the commute.” 

Ben tosses the kindling back into the fireplace. He’ll deal with it later. He turns his body so he’s resting on the heels of his hands, staring up at her. 

“You wanna move in together so soon?” He asks, head cocked. “Huh. I was just gonna propose this weekend, but maybe that’s a good idea.” 

She blushes. He can tell he’s shocked her, finally. He hasn’t been able to give her pause since their first date so he takes a moment to relish in it. 

“Were you really? I don’t think I’d mind marrying you. Finn says I’m insane but I’m pretty sure we’re soulmates. Can’t imagine what he’d say if he knew about all the killing. I wish it didn’t turn me on so fucking much.”

She’s rambling again and it makes his heart flutter. 

“I guess it doesn’t matter at the end of the day. Probably gives me more protection than I would have had otherwise, right? And I’m not a snitch. I’ve never told on anyone for anything. I’m pretty sure one of my foster siblings did meth and even when he took garden shears to my braids I didn’t say a word. Didn’t mention the shearing, either. I kind of deserved it—I put his nudey mags in the recycling. They were under his bed and I was cleaning his room after I lost a bet. I thought they were trash, but they were paper, so I thought I’d do the Earth a favor and—“

“Rey.”

She’s out of breath. Ben can’t help but interrupt her, even though he’s interested in hearing more about this. He makes a mental note to ask later. Once the elephant in the room is addressed. And addressed again. And again and again. 

Rey takes the hint, sucks in a big gulp of air, and giggles a little. 

“Can we—I’m ready to see the bedroom. Where we’re going to sleep.” 

Ben gulps. He hasn’t decided if he has the gall to fuck her on what used to be his parents bed. It’s bigger and more comfortable than the twin in his designated area, but he likes to avoid unpleasantness when possible. Thinking about his parents engaging in carnal acts is more than unpleasant. 

“Okay,” he says as he pushes himself up off the ground. It’s a little awkward—the position made his hands start to fall asleep. He tries to ignore Rey’s smirk at his stumbling. “I’ll lead the way.” 

He decides that, just to be safe, he’ll keep her in his own bedroom. There’s a dresser and a television and an old N64 in here. He’s got all the best games, but only one controller, so they’ll have to take turns. 

“How do you fit on that bloody thing?!” 

Ben bites his knuckle to stifle the chuckle in his throat. He doesn’t want to joke around anymore. Instead, he grips her wrist softly and guides her onto the bed, so he’s laying down and she’s straddling his lap. It’s a lot like the first time they had any sexual contact—which is exactly what he wants. He’s thought about this position every night and most mornings since. 

She leans over and kisses him. He runs his hands over her sides, light as a feather. He peeks his eyes open to make sure there’s gooseflesh prickling her arms. 

He’s caught up in the moment. Their tongues are tangling together, his hands are exploring every inch of her body. She’s whining and keening in his lap with every brush of his hands on the underside of her chest. There’s no way he could hear the car creeping up the gravel, or the footsteps entering the kitchen. All he ends up registering is the creak of his bedroom door opening. His eyes fly open and zero in on his very, very confused mother. 

To make matters worse, it isn't his name she shouts with incredulity. No. 

“Rey?!”

Leia stares wide-eyed at their tangled bodies. 

“Mrs. Organa, I--“ 

Ben covers his face with his hands as soon as Rey shuffles off of him. There just _has_ to be a catch here. 

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” he mumbles into his palms. “Just kill me now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, let me know what you think/what your predictions are. i love hearing from anyone who puts up with my drivel LOL


	6. Chapter 6

“Rey Kenobi, get off of my son this _instant!_”

Ben wants to die. He still might if the Maker Above is at all merciful. He’s only marginally better off than Rey. Her face is so red it’s making her freckles stand out, and hey, that’s cute; too bad his mother is screaming incomprehensible nonsense at her and he can’t even enjoy it. 

Rey finally rolls off of him, hands up in a defensive surrender. 

“Miss Organa, please let me explain—“ 

“I don’t want to hear _anything!_” 

Ben sits up and rubs at his eyes. He briefly considers punching himself to wake up, but that would freak Rey out even more on the off-chance that this isn’t a nightmare. 

“Jesus, Leia, lay off her—“

“Don’t even get me _started_ on you, young man! This is our vacation home, not your…your…your bachelor pad!” 

Ben starts to grumble something under his breath but Leia’s icy glare is enough to dissuade him. She’s a 5’1” powerhouse of a District Attorney in a male-dominated field, and she didn’t get there without being intimidating as hell. Even Ben crumbles under her inspection. 

But right now he doesn’t care if she’s mad; he can’t hold off on asking the question blazing at the forefront of his brain. 

“Can—mom, can you please just explain how you know my girlfriend?”

“She was my assistant!” Leia declares. 

_Huh?_ Rey said ResistanceMedia was her first job. 

Rey looks like she’s wilting, but a few things click. Leia has been working a case against the First Order since Ben was a child. It’s no wonder Rey acted so nonchalantly around Hux, no wonder she recognized him immediately. 

Ben remembers the way she looked at Hux, told him,_”I’ve seen you on TV. Wanted man and all,”_ in no uncertain terms. 

He nearly snorts at the memory. Rey probably knows more about Hux than he does, especially if she worked alongside Leia. 

Ben wonders how much Rey knows about Kylo Ren. Kylo is faceless; those who see him never live to tell the tale, but Ben suspects mentions of Kylo Ren lurk in the background of those reports. He stares at Rey blankly, watches her sag even further into herself. There’s a lot Ben doesn’t know about this strange, sweet girl. 

He’s a master of interrogation, he could take the information he wants by force. But he’d never lay a hand on Rey. _Ever._ Even if it meant she fucked him over and he lost everything. 

Regardless, there’s no use following that line of thought. He won’t know anything for sure until he gets Rey alone, and he doesn’t get the impression that Leia will allow that any time soon.

Speaking of Leia…he tunes back in to her crooning. 

“…And she is a child, Ben! Barely in her twenties and you’re—you’re defiling her! And YOU!” Leia narrows her eyes at Rey again. “You knew exactly who this man was!” 

Rey is sniffling now, pathetic little sounds that make Ben want to drop to his knees and comfort her. 

“I want to know the meaning of this, Rey.” Leia is using her DA voice and all Ben can do is droop beside her. “I want to know _now._”

“I—I had no idea I was going to run into Ben!” Rey pleads. “I saw him in the elevator, Miss Organa. He was so sweet, and so helpful! I asked him to dinner after my interview because I thought he might be interested, too. I was going to tell him everything during the date, I swear! But I had such a good time and I was scared I’d freak him out. And we’d already purged my employment history to keep the First Order off my back, I was eager to just let it all go.” 

Leia taps her foot impatiently. She’s waiting for more information, employing her trademark stare-down tactic to get it. Ben knows all about this. He feels eerily like an older brother when he’s struck with the urge to warn Rey. 

Except Rey must already know. She directs her gaze to the carpet, hanging her head in shame. 

Leia sighs. “Is this a fling, Ben? Is this serious?” 

_Fuck._ Now Ben’s on the witness stand again. 

“This is serious, mom. It’s the most serious I’ve ever been about someone.” 

Leia’s chest rises with a deep inhale. Her entire body seems to relax on the exhale; Ben’s body instinctively relaxes afterwards. 

“Rey, sweetheart,” Leia frowns. Back to mom mode. “Didn’t you know Ben would introduce us eventually? If this truly is serious, you were bound to meet me sooner or later. Sooner, most likely.” 

“I know, Miss Organa,” Rey sniffs. “I would have told him before it got to that point. I was just…enjoying our time together, without any of the pressure that comes with knowing his mother.” 

Ben, for his part, understands why Rey hadn’t felt comfortable mentioning this. He’s just thankful the employment purge was thorough enough that the First Order couldn’t find information about her time at the DA’s office. That would have been a disaster with implications he refuses to entertain the thought of. 

“Mom, do you mind if Rey and I have some time alone?” Ben asks, imploring his mother with the widest eyes he can manage. He adds a bit of a lip pout, too, for good measure. It’s important for both their sakes, both their _lives_, that Ben gets this story straight immediately. He needs to have his own cover and he can’t work on that with his mother lurking about. 

Leia nods and leaves the room without another word. He waits until he hears her retreat to the master bedroom to speak. Even then, he lowers his voice to a whisper. 

“Someone’s been a bad girl,” Ben notes with a smile. Rey’s eyes widen, though she refuses to meet his. He can’t tell if she’s mortified or relieved to hear him approach the situation playfully. “It’s very important that you tell me everything, Rey. Just as a quick disclaimer, I would sooner give myself an icepick lobotomy than lay a hand on you. Someone like Hux wouldn’t think twice though.” 

Rey’s bottom lip wobbles a bit while she steels up the nerve to speak. Ben lays his hand across her thigh and squeezes lightly. He’s never been particularly comforting but it all comes so naturally with her. 

No, he’s not mad at Rey. He was in his early twenties once, too. He’d already be dead if the stakes were this high on any of the mistakes he made. All that matters is that she learns from this and they’re able to move on. 

But oh, no. She’s blubbering. No, no, no. 

He frowns and tugs her into his lap, rocking her and whispering gentle, soothing words into her ear. 

“I’m not mad at you, sweetheart. I’m not mad at all. I get it—it’s embarrassing that you knew my mother. You’re right, I wouldn’t have been understanding about it. I’m _glad_ you didn’t tell me too soon, okay?” 

Rey shivers, so he pulls her in tighter. 

“But you should have sung like a pretty little canary after meeting Hux last week. So I could get a head-start on protecting you.” 

“I know,” Rey whispers weakly. “I’m so sorry. I was scared then. I never—I never imagined you could do something like _that_, never thought you could work for the First Order. I was hoping, thinking you were a small-time drug dealer or something. I spent eight months helping Leia take fuckers like you down, and the moment I found out, I was even _more_ attracted to you. I’m sick in the head.” 

“You’re not, sweetheart, not at all,” Ben grins into her hair. It’s all good; no malice meant. Maybe he’s being a little lenient but Rey is his sweet little angel. He doesn’t care. “You’re dating Ben Solo, not Kylo Ren. They’re two completely different people, even if they share a couple of personality traits.” 

“Ben, I know you tell yourself that, but it’s not true,” Rey manages hoarsely. “You’re as much Kylo Ren as you are Ben Solo. You can’t…you can’t shove murder into a box and pretend it’s not real while you perform desktop support. You’re both of those men to me, sweet Ben and dangerous Kylo, two sides of the same coin. Ben, I—“ she shakes her head. “I’ve read about things you’ve done. They’re so gruesome.” 

Now Ben needs to be held. 

Snoke taught him how to channel Kylo when he’s necessary and keep him at bay when he isn’t. By virtue of sharing a body, they have some similarities, but they are _not_ the same. Ben started off as Ben. He will always be Ben before Kylo. Hearing that Rey thinks otherwise might actually break his heart. 

“Are you going to leave me?” He whispers with a wavering voice. He hates the way it makes him sound. He disgusts himself, he’s far too pathetic to deserve someone like Rey; someone who’s so unabashedly strange and sweet and beautiful. “Tell me.” 

“No.” Rey’s head shakes against his chest. She grabs both of his hands and pulls them into her lap. “Never.”

He exhales a breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding, flexing his fingers against the soft expanse of her thighs. She feels good and right, fits perfectly between his legs. Her thighs are the perfect size to accommodate his hands. The juxtaposition of sizes is beautiful. It’s perfect. He’s big and strong and he can protect her, even if he’s a little weak emotionally, and she’s so tiny and fiery and she _needs_ him. 

Ben is obsessed with her. 

“Everything’s going to be okay,” he murmurs into the crook of her neck. She giggles and shifts her weight from side to side, pretending to get comfortable. He knows exactly what she’s doing and the thought makes him groan even though she’s not able to stimulate much from this angle. 

He holds her there for a while, reveling in the intoxicating scent of her strawberry shampoo and the subtle shift of her hips. His hands travel up and down her thighs to create friction and warmth over her jeans. It’s strangely intimate without being sexy; there’s something to be said about quietly enjoying the presence of a woman after peacefully resolving an issue or two. It gives him hope that this really isn’t a fling for her, that he’s not too old for this to be viable. Hope that he isn’t going to be completely and utterly crushed by losing her to her own boredom. 

Maybe the whole murdering thing will keep things interesting for her. Time will tell. 

\--

Leia doesn’t give them long to enjoy each other’s company. She’s back in minutes, knocking on the door and demanding help with her quiche; it’s the only thing she can think to put together with the groceries Ben and Rey brought with them. 

Ben quickly realizes that Leia does not plan to go anywhere this weekend. He wonders what prompted her to arrive in the first place. 

Leia insists that Ben needs to chop firewood. He is reluctant to leave Rey alone with his mother. She is even better at extracting information than he is, he thinks, because “you catch more flies with honey than a lock in a sock,” or however the saying goes. 

He’s not sure if he’s just proving a point or what, but he approaches Rey from behind, in clear view of his mother, and gives her the tightest squeeze he can manage. He finishes his display with a sweet peck that gets lost in her hair before finally slipping out of the back door. It’s chilly outside now, probably chilly enough to warrant a light sweater, but he runs hot and he’s going to be sweating, anyway. 

Ben remembers the first time he ever chopped firewood with his father. He was a gangly twelve year old with little to offer the world of axes and saws, even less to offer his hyper-masculine father. Han insisted that he learn a useful life skill or two, but Ben also knew that Han was getting a little too weak, a little too old to handle it all on his own. All Ben wanted to do was play Super Mario 64. He was on the lava level then, the one with the volcano, and the thought of a world within a world within a world was still blowing his mind when his father tossed a round trunk in front of him. 

“Show me how you think it’s done,” Han demanded. 

Like chopping wood was difficult. 

Ben tossed the log on the ground horizontally and threw the axe down on top of it. The wood didn’t even split, and he had to get his father’s help yanking the tool back out. It was embarrassing and Han was laughing at him so tauntingly it made his eyes sting. 

“Sometimes I can’t believe you’re mine.” 

Ben went back inside without another word. 

The next weekend, he spent three hours at the library trying to find resources on wood chopping on his own, too embarrassed to let the pretty librarian with the big, round glasses find out that he didn’t know something so _basic_. 

Now he’s a fucking firewood connoisseur. 

He waits until there’s a good pile going to go back inside. It’s probably been thirty minutes. He’s sweating profusely but he’s done an excellent job. He’s a man. He can provide for Rey _and_ his mother, and if his father was still alive, he’d tell him to fucking choke on it. 

There’s been some sort of disaster in the kitchen. 

Rey is covered in flour. Not covered in a figurative sense, she’s literally smothering in it, coughing every time she sucks in a breath. There’s even more on the floor. Leia’s managed to stay relatively clean, but the counter has met the worst fate of all. There’s thick, yellow batter covering every square inch, complete with a suspiciously toppled bowl and a cheese grater he doesn’t quite understand the significance of. Is there cheese in quiche? He wouldn’t know. 

“So, is dinner ready?” He asks with a playful grin. 

Rey and Leia just blink at him incredulously. They’re already in cahoots. 

— 

Rey showers first. Ben doesn’t mind; she needs to clear her airways and he’s able to slip in shortly after anyway. He doesn’t think he’ll ever know the full story of the aforementioned disaster, and that might actually be okay. 

Leia manages to clean the kitchen and get another quiche going in the meantime. She keeps the bacon out because Rey insists that pigs are smarter than dogs, and Leia wouldn’t very well eat a dog, would she? His mother looks thoroughly admonished by this. It just endears Rey to Ben all the more. 

They talk about work over dinner. Rey is fitting in well, especially with the group she went through training with. She met another girl named Rose who works in maintenance, and they enjoy the same movies and TV shows. Leia asks if Ben has made any friends at work, and Rey declares that Poe and Ben are _best_ friends. 

It couldn’t be further from the truth. But the idea seems to make Rey and his mother happy, so he just grunts and shrugs noncommittally. Hopefully she never expresses this sentiment to Poe. He’d never let Ben live that down. 

“So,” Leia grins after her third glass of wine. Ben thinks she might open her mouth about First Order dealings. He always gets a little giddy when he gathers a nugget to take to Snoke. Snoke praises him for it, tells him how proud he is, how thankful he feels to have a son like Ben. The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. Han never understood him, but Snoke speaks _Ben_ like it’s a second language. 

Except wait a minute, she’s not talking First Order at all. 

“When can I expect my grandbabies?” 

Ben chokes. 

Rey doesn’t seem too bothered. In fact, she has already planned this portion of their life out. 

“I would like to get two or three more years of professional experience under my belt,” she says. “Hopefully ResistanceMedia will be offering better medical insurance at that point. Worst case scenario, we can plan ahead and I’ll find a job with better benefits. Or maybe Ben can, somewhere that offers paternity leave. I’m sure we’ll be married at that point so I can be covered under him.” 

Leia is absolutely, positively _delighted._

“If I’d known you two would hit it off like this, I would have introduced you sooner.” 

“I wish you had!” Rey grins and nods and she’s so excited it takes a moment for her to find her words. “I always thought he was so cute, even in his senior picture where his ears are sticking out—“

Ben groans so loudly that Rey loses her train of thought. 

“He has the cutest ears, doesn’t he, sweetheart?” 

Rey nods profusely. “He has the cutest everything. Oh, Leia, his chest! Immaculate, like the Gods themselves carved—“

“Please stop,” Ben whimpers. 

Leia mercifully changes the topic to the weather. It’s been an unseasonably warm summer and crime is also up, coincidentally. She says she doesn’t blame the criminals. This weather makes her feel violent and homicidal, too. It’s pretty horrible for a drunk DA to say but it makes Rey lose her shit like she’s never heard anything so hysterical in her life. He wants to make her laugh like that. He wishes he could kiss her. 

That’s what this weekend was supposed to be about. Kissing Rey. Fucking Rey. 

“Excuse us, Miss Organa,” Rey eventually offers. “Ben and I had an appointment with his video games.”

“That’s Leia to you now. And of course sweetie, have fun. Don’t let an old coot ruin your weekend plans.” 

Ben’s thankful for the out, but there’s still a question buzzing in the back of his mind. 

“Mom, what made you come up this weekend? You hadn’t mentioned it.”

“Oh, you hadn’t heard?” Leia grins. “I suppose I’m technically in hiding. We caught Armitage Hux.” 

_Welp._

He wishes he’d never asked.


End file.
